The Shands Bridge is a two-lane automobile bridge carrying
SR 16 over the
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
south of
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
.
History
The first structure at the site was a 2-mile-long wooden toll span with a draw bridge inaugurated in 1928.
It was located just north of the current span, crossing from
Orangedale to the present Shands pier on the west side of the river. The current bridge was dedicated on October 30, 1963, and features concrete beam-type construction for a total of two lanes. Until the building of the
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
*Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
*Interstate 29 ...
Buckman Bridge
The Henry Holland Buckman Bridge carries I-295 West Beltway traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named for Henry Holland Buckman, a prominent legislator and attorney who was instrumental in establishing the Florid ...
it was the only crossing of the
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
between
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
and
Palatka.
On October 7, 2016, the eastern approach to the bridge was eroded by
Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew was an extremely powerful Atlantic hurricane which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane sinc ...
, so the bridge was closed to traffic for an indefinite time period. On October 9, the bridge reopened.
In 2004, proposals were made to replace or upgrade the span. Problems cited include increasing traffic in the
Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman:
* Clay County, Alabama
* Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County)
* Clay County, Flor ...
and
St. Johns County areas, safety, and the inability of large boats to travel upriver. One plan proposed a new bridge north of the existing one, connecting to extensions of
SR 9B and
SR 23. Eventually a planned span just to the south was selected. In the fall of 2005, the railings of the bridge were upgraded to solid concrete barriers in an effort to reduce over-bridge fatalities.
First Coast Expressway Replacement
The third and final segment of the
First Coast Expressway (also known as SR 23, which will connect I-10 and I-95 as a partial outer beltway around Jacksonville and Orange Park) includes a new four-lane bridge over the St. Johns River just south of where the Shands Bridge currently stands, as well as construction of new roadway connecting to I-95 in St. Johns County. Right-of-way acquisition, design and permitting for this $763 million segment is expected to be completed in 2020, with construction beginning in 2023 and ending in 2030. The current bridge will be partially or fully removed. The vertical clearance height of the new bridge will be 65 feet from the water line, compared to the existing 45 feet of clearance. The additional 20 feet will match the clearance of the Buckman Bridge to the north and Palatka's
Memorial Bridge to the south and is an improvement for marine commerce in the region.
Gallery
File:Old Shands Bridge.jpg, View of the remnants of the 1928 bridge from the current one
File:Shands bridge 2.jpg, Westbound on Shands bridge with current barriers
See also
*
*
*
*
List of crossings of the St. Johns River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Saint Johns River.
Crossings
See also
*
*
*
* List of crossings of the Aucilla River
* List of crossings of the Halifax River
* List of crossings of the Ochlockonee River
* List of crossi ...
References
External links
St. Johns River Crossing Corridor StudyNautical Chart
Bridges completed in 1929
Bridges completed in 1963
Bridges over the St. Johns River
1929 establishments in Florida
Steel bridges in the United States
Girder bridges in the United States
Road bridges in Florida
Transportation in Clay County, Florida
Transportation in St. Johns County, Florida
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